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Archive from "Leadership"

Talking about your feats and delegating to others is a leader is typically what a leader does. Nowadays, coaching is showing us that one of the skills which are included within the realm of good communication is listening.

Without listening, leaders will eventually run into a wall within their leadership, resulting in an overall lack of communication.

Here are six tips on how to become a good listener:

1. It’s not always about you

Instead of thinking about what you can say, simply be quiet and focus on what is being sad by others. Don’t be egocentric! Instead of waiting for someone to acknowledge how your ideas are great and stroke your ego, listen to others and compliment their ideas.

2. Always be available to listen

Remember that by listening you can also learn something new or even be given light to a situation you are working on your daily life. Independent of the persons position, never be too busy to listen to them.

3. Look beyond verbal communication

Body language s a strong way in which things can be communicated. When you think abou the concept of listening, remember that you can also listen to the body language of the person who you are communicating with, from which you can obtain valuable information.

4. Look between the lines

Many times, a single frase can convey multiple messages. Try to read between the lines of what the person is saying in order to obtain aditional information which is not being directly conveyed.

5. Make listening your patent

Try to become well-known for being a good listener. People will value very highly what you have to say as well.

6. Recognize others

As always, it is important to recognize the contributions which others make. Be honest and truly thankful as to how they have contributed to the team and the company.

You may have heard one or more of these sentences if you ever had a boss which you feel was not a strong leader.

These five sentences should never be said by a boss:

1. “It’s work, it’s not supposed to be fun”

A boss who typically says this is a leader who does not enjoy his own line of work. This will generally demotivate people into believing that their own line of work should not make them remotely entertained or let them feel joy from work. Such a comment can be a major downturn to any employees morale.

2. “I don`t pay you to think”

Besides being completely disrespectful, this shows that in a way, the voice of the employee as well as their thoughts, don`t matter at all! It is important to listen to everyone within a company!

3. “This is the way we’ve always done it”

This literally translates into “Sorry, but we don`t like change”. A sentence such as this is a strong demotivator to free thinking and innovation.

The role of the leader is central to the company in which he is inserted, where he will follow the vision which has been established by the executives, and also central to those who are in his team, in order to help those within his leadership to discover and realize their maximum potential.

See here five things a leader should do in order to help those around him realize their potential:

1. Value and respect them

A relationship in which the leader shows respect towards the employee and truly values their presence can go a long way. For this, there are no shortcuts; respect must be visible as well as signs that they are truly valued.

2. Back them up

Employees want a leader who they can count on, not only in terms of their work, but also to help them advance in their career. A sponsorship for advancement is a strong motivating factor.

3. Invest in their professional growth

Employees expect leaders to invest in them as much as they also invest their time to the team and the company. What is meant by investment is giving the employee chances to develop their skills as well as their leadership through coaching programs or other specialized courses.

4. Networking potential

Leaders should expose their employees to people of influence and decision makers. There shuld be sufficient level of trust in which the leader feels comfortable to let his employees expose themselves alone to the high-up bosses and showcase their talents.

5. Don’t feel threatened by them

At times, an employee can excel in a given area which is a potential point for development for his leader. The employee expects that the leader instead of feeling threatened by their advanced skills, instead helps them feel valued and secure of the strong skills they have.